Expectations for education blueprint

The Gazette

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We're glad to see Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass is trying to push the envelope on education reform.

Some of Glass's ideas - such as requiring all of Iowa's high school students to take the ACT exam in order to better gauge how well the state is preparing all of its students for college - are admirable, and well worth considering.

And we're intrigued by what we've learned so far about his ideas regarding teacher evaluation and compensation.

But Iowans need to know a lot more before any official decision is made on whether the state should change its system of teacher pay.

In about a month, Glass expects to have completed a blueprint for reform to take first to a series of town hall meetings and, ultimately, the Legislature. In that blueprint, he should outline in detail his thoughts about performance pay.

Most important, that blueprint should have just as many details about how reform will help teachers improve their effectiveness - not just pay them more.

Only then will we be able to discuss the pros and cons of radically changing Iowa's teacher compensation system.

Glass was all about the data when he met with members of The Gazette's editorial board last week to discuss comprehensive school reform.

Take the ACT test, commonly taken by college-bound students as a test of college readiness.

Iowa students routinely top the national averages, but that wasn't enough for the state's education director. He wants to know how well our K-12 system is preparing the 39 percent of Iowa's graduating seniors who do not take the test.

“There is a lot of room for growth in assessing college and career readiness for all Iowa students,” Glass said.

His case is compelling. Requiring the college entrance exam of all students would give us a better idea of all graduates' skill levels. And it might prompt some students, not used to thinking of themselves as college material, to consider pursuing a college degree or other postsecondary training.

Interesting, too are Glass's ideas about adopting value-added evaluations for Iowa teachers.

The controversial system - which applies statistical analysis to student test scores in order to gauge a teacher's effectiveness - is gaining traction in some school districts. Critics say the concept still is too rough to reliably identify good teaching.

We're curious, but cautious about how such a tool might be a part of education reform in Iowa.

One point that's not contentious: It's time to jump-start Iowa's stagnant education system and reclaim the state's reputation for superior-quality schools.

But change for change's sake won't get us the results we're after, and we're wary of untested theories.

When the state's education director releases his blueprint for reform next month, it should be heavy on data and how it can help our students improve.

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